


Carol of the Bells

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, Christmas horror, De-Aged Character(s), Dreamies as Children, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Supernatural - Freeform, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:16:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26879572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “If you hear a knock on the door, don’t open it, okay?”They should have never left the children behind at the orphanage. In the silent hours of the midnight of Christmas, someone (or perhaps something) knocks on the door- and hides the screams that follow after behind the roaring wind of December.
Relationships: Everyone/Everyone, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 28
Kudos: 41
Collections: Challenge #2 — tricks; treats; and terrors





	Carol of the Bells

**Author's Note:**

> Christmas horror :) Be aware that the dreamies are de-aged in this fic, none of them reaching over 10 years old. Happy reading!
> 
> [Now playing - Carol of the Bells]

_“If you hear a knock on the door, don’t open it, okay?”_

Donghyuck peered at his caregiver curiously, his hands halting in their journey to stack the last block on top of his mini pyramid. There was a mischievous glint in Taeyong’s eyes, one that appeared every time he came up with nonsense to scare the little orphans in his care.

“I’ve already finished the book about Christmas ghosts” the eight year old boy retorted, determined to not let the man scare him. “I call _bull_ -”

A hand slapped into his mouth, shutting off the continuation of the profanity. Taeyong gave a displeased hiss as he tugged Donghyuck to the side, away from the other children before kneeling down so he could look up at the chubby boy. “Doyoung-hyungie taught you that, didn’t he? Well, Hyuckie, that word isn’t really nice.”

“Johnny hyungie says it all the time -”

“He’s on Santa’s naughty list,” a small smile stretched on Taeyong’s face, “I heard he was able to scare off the _dark elves_ that snatch naughty children when the first hour of Christmas strikes.”

Donghyuck tilted his head questioningly. “Are they the ones that will knock?”

“Yes,” Taeyong confirmed, a small sin in order to make sure the little ones were safe when he went out to visit his neighbours for Christmas. At least, he hoped. “So be sure not to open the door. Make sure Lele and Sungie are safe, too. Sing them carols and have Nana play the piano.”

“Nana is too sick during the Winter. Maybe Nono can play the violin instead!” Donghyuck perked up, a smile spreading on his face. “Have fun, hyungie! We’ll be here when you come back!”

“Of course you will, angel” the latter nodded gratefully before planting a tender kiss on his forehead. “We’ll be back before the nuns send the gifts!”

It was rather unnerving, watching the three caregivers they had relied on leave the house. Still, the eldest among the orphans who went by the name Mark had claimed that the angels would protect them because their _hyungies_ were going to help the poor instead.

Donghyuck hoped that that included dark elves who knocked on the door at midnight.

As brave as he thought himself to be, Donghyuck found himself anxious as night fell and the children were kept up past their bedtime out of restlessness. He sat at the foot of the sofa, helping the youngest among them, Jisung who had turned four early that year, pull off the itchy Christmas sweaters knitted by Doyoung himself.

“Christmas isn’t Christmas without any presents!” Renjun quoted, staring longingly at the empty Christmas tree with no decorations except for the paper star glued at the top. “You reckon Santa hates orphans?”

Jeno scowled from his place by Jaemin’s side, the younger of the twins red nosed and starry eyes as he gazed at the fireplace. “That would be terribly hypocritical. Better off stealing on the streets.”

“That’s a sin, hyungie” Chenle retorted, looking up from the worn out teddy bear in his hands “You’ll burn”

“We’re living Hell on earth if that’s any better”

**_Knock Knock Knock_ **

Heads turned simultaneously to the old wooden door at the end of the small corridor. Instantly, Renjun rose to his feet, eyes shining bright. “Must be the choir kids!”

Donghyuck’s hand reached out to grab his sleeve, bringing the attention of the other six children to him, making him flush. ‘Um...we really shouldn’t - “

“Taeyong hyungies stories’ finally getting to you, Hyuck?” Jaemin giggled. “ _Scaredy cat!_ ”

“Scaredy cat!” Jeno echoed, poking out his tongue. 

Donghyuck watched helplessly, with Jisung clinging to his arm, as Renjun ran over to the door followed closely by Chenle. Dread coursing through his veins, he ushered Jisung into his arms and lifted him up, following the others as they walked after the two.

_Dark elves that snatch naughty children when the first hour of Christmas strikes_

“Junnie, wait!” he called just as the door swung open, creaking at its hinges. He froze as the cold breeze blew into the house, making him shiver in his thin pajamas. 

Tall figures stood by the door in full black capes, tall enough that they would probably have to bow down their heads to fit through the door. Donghyuck’s vision focused on the one in front before his eyes flickered to eye the many others that seemed to gather behind the first. Renjun stumbled back, away from the door, dragging Chenle with him as the hooded figure took the first step.

“M-merry Christmas” Mark stuttered out, his grip painful against Donghyuck’s tender flesh. “Who are you?”

They didn’t answer, instead almost gliding past the doorway and into their home. The wind blew again, this time passing fast enough to blow their hoods off. Skin as dark as olives, goblin-like heads and faces carves with scarlet swirls. Eyes like black holes, soulless and menacing, lips too large for their faces, thin raven lips that stretched unnaturally high, almost like a jesters.

_Dark elves_

His mind snapped to attention, the adrenaline in his blood pushing his instinct to take over as he grabbed the nearest ceramic pot and threw it as hard as he could at the head of the closest elf. It shattered, the shards falling - _almost in slow motion_ \- to the ground, confirming Donghyuck’s suspicions.

“RUN!’ He yelled, clutching Jisung close as he took off up the stairs ( _Where? WHERE?! We don’t have a back door_ ). Donghyuck could only rely on the patter of feet behind him to make sure they were following him. The lights flickered eerily, no longer an indication of ghost stories told behind a lit candle. They were living in one.

An ear splitting scream broke the muffled world of panic, prompting him to look back quick enough to catch Renjun’s arms being snagged by two of the elves, their eyes glinting scarlet before black tendrils of smoke slipped from their sleeves and crept up Renjun’s arm, the boy yelling in fear as the smoke grew thicker, enveloping him whole.

Donghyuck couldn’t see Renjun behind the black smoke, even when he gave a last high pitched cry and the smoke dissipated, leaving behind a worn out shirt and a pair of trousers similar to his own. Renjun was gone.

“Let’s go!” Mark ordered, pulling him up the remaining flight of stairs, suppressing his sobs and tears. “Hyuck, we can’t help him!”

‘’It’s going to be okay, we’ll be fine” Donghyuck chanted into Jisung’s ear as the young child let out a broken Injunnie “It’s just a nightmare!”

_It wasn’t a nightmare._

Mark led them into the toy room, filled with the used plushies and spare board games the people gifted to them during the charity fests. Donghyuck was quick to kneel on the floor, breathless from lifting Jisung.

“C’mon!” Mark almost screamed as he peeked outside. Jeno and Jaemin had fallen behind, no doubt because of Jaemin’s incapability to run from fever. Donghyuck whipped around to the door, eyeing the way Mark gripped the doorknob tightly as if he would be swept away if he dared to let go.

The elves were taking their time.

“Take care of Sungie,” he ordered, running past Mark and Chenle ( _Hyuckie, NO!_ ) to reach the twins. Jeno was supporting a hobbling Jaemin, looking back every few steps as the cloaked creatures climbed the staircase. When he managed to reach the two, Jaemin looked up with gentle eyes, ones full of acceptance and understanding, a clear opposite to his twin's desperate ones.

“I won’t make it,” he said, looking at Jeno straight in the eye. “You know I won’t”

“Shut up, Nana. That’s the fever talking - “ Jeno was silenced by a finger on his lips. 

Jaemin shook his head, his grip tightening as his chest constricted from fear and sickness.“I want you to live for me, Jeno.” 

Jeno’s gaze was one of helplessness, and Donghyuck saw at the corner of his eye that the creatures had reached the top of the stairs, blank gazes fixating on them.

"Nono -”

“Go, Hyuck. I’m not leaving Nana behind”

There was fire in his eyes, desperation like no other. He knew that was it, the final verdict as smoke reached out to them. Donghyuck clenched his fist, letting out a shaky “We’ll meet in Heaven” before turning away and running.

He ignored Mark’s cry of protest when he kicked the door shut. He ignored the teeth gritting sound as he pushed the toy box against the unlockable door. He ignored the screams and the sounds of faint chanting, like fallen angels. For once, he lied to himself as he pulled Jisung close, making sure he was secure, before abseiling down the house from a thick rope installed weeks ago from the window.

_It’s just a nightmare._

He landed lightly on the snow, pulling Jisung close as the boy whined from the cold. They had left their jackets inside. 

“It’s going to be okay. We’ll be fine.” _Lies._

Mark was praying, muttering holy words taken from Taeyong. They were stumbling almost aimlessly as they fought against the cold wind and darkness. It was a mere few blocks away, too far for their short legs to reach in minimum time. Each inhale was frost prickling their lungs, freezing their throats.

He had been partially aware that Chenle was gone. The young child had always been afraid of heights, and he was grateful for the roaring wind for concealing the screams as they left the house.

“I don’t want to die!” Mark sobbed, coughing out a painful breath between shivers. “Hyuckie, I don’t want to die”

 _I don’t either_ , he wanted to reply, but the words were stuck in his throat. The brick road they were following was no wider than the car roads, and no less steeper. His breath hitched, despairingly so, at the sight of black cloaks billowing in the wind, blocking their way, gliding closer and closer. He could feel the ice, colder than the snow. 

Donghyuck wanted to collapse to his knees, pull Jisung close and cry. From the way Mark’s bottom lip trembled, he knew he was thinking the same thing. But there was more to it, more to the coldness on their skin and fear in their veins.

There was the heat of memories of laughter under a warm blanket, warmth of a fireplace shared by ten.

“Use the long path,” Mark whispered, and there it was again. Understanding and acceptance, two emotions Donghyuck wanted to erase from his eyes. “God doesn’t place children in Hell.”

Donghyuck held in a cry of distraught, instead nodding his head. “Then in Heaven we shall meet”

And he ran into the alleyway like Hell was chasing him, slipping through narrow spaces he had explored since he had been able to walk properly. Jisung was eerily quiet ( _please don’t be dead, we’re almost there!_ ). His mind roared with terror, memories of warmth fueling the energy in his limbs as he chased freedom.

The darkness gave way to street lights. _Almost there, almost!_ It was right there, the house of two floors with peeling paint and cobblestone steps. Donghyuck stumbled to the front door, his breath short and hot, his heart banging against his rib cage like the metronome Jaemin used for his piano lessons.

The steps felt higher than before, almost making his legs give way but he held on strong. Even when he raised his fist to knock, he could feel the icy cold of the dark elves. In his mind's eye, he could imagine them coming nearer and nearer.

Lips frozen shut, he rapped his fist against the door again and again.

* * *

  
**_Knock Knock Knock_ **

Yang Yang whipped around, his grip on his new robot toy tightening. The knocking was irregular, growing louder and faster the longer he stood there. Biting his lower lip, he made his way to the door to open it -

When a large hand settled on his shoulder.

The young child looked up curiously at the warm eyes of the newcomer who’d distributed their gifts a short while. His name was Johnny, wasn’t it?

“Do you know the tale of elves that steal naughty children in the first hours of Christmas?” Johnny asked, kneeling down to meet his height. “If you hear a knock on the door, don’t open it, okay?” 

The knocking was growing louder, insistent and desperate. Yang Yang cast a side glance at the door before returning his sight to the adult in front of him. “The elves are the ones knocking?”

**_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_ **

Johnny smiled kindly. “Yes, now let’s count the seconds until the knocking stops, alright? I don’t want you to be scared on Christmas.”

Under the fairy lights and dimly lit corridors, they held hands and turned to look at the door, still shaking from the force of the knocks. Yang Yang exhaled a nervous breath before counting the seconds.

_One_

_**Knock knock KNOCK** _

_Two_

_**knock knock knock** _

_Three_

_**Silence** _

“It stopped!” the young child giggled, reaching out to hug the elder man tightly. “The elves are gone!”

“They won’t come until next year, okay? So keep the door closed when you hear knocking.” Johnny said before standing, gently guiding the boy away from the door, away from danger. “Maybe if Jaemin gets healthy, you can go visit the orphanage for Christmas dinner!”

“I can’t wait to meet Nana and Nono and Hyuckie and Mark and Lele and Injun and Sungie!”

Johnny chuckled. “Alright, little one! Let’s go have some Christmas breakfast!”

“Yes!”

Outside, two pairs of patched up pajamas are blown off the doorstep and onto the porch where snow slowly hides them away, the way messy footsteps in the snow are covered, concealing the journey that had happened a few minutes earlier.

Somewhere else, a child looks up as someone knocks on their front door.

**Author's Note:**

> Knock knock knock  
> Would you open the door?
> 
> Thank you for reading this fic of mine and be sure to leave comments on it! This is unbeta-ed so I'm sorry for grammar mistakes and all! Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
>   
> [twt](https://twitter.com/Skydancer_8?s=09) | [CC](https://curiouscat.me/Skydancer_8)


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